Tag Archives: R-Phils

The Phillies Double-A squad, the R-Phils, will announce on November 17 the name, logo and uniforms for their squad. They have been the Phillies for 46 years, serving as an affiliate to the Phillies.

“Since 1967, the Reading Phillies have been proud affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies,” said Reading General Manager Scott Hunsicker. “Our relationship is the longest affiliation in the minor leagues and there has never been a better time to be a Phillies affiliate.. Considering the heritage and fun nature of Baseballtown, our entire front office is extremely anxious to unveil and share our new name with everyone on November 17th.”

I vote they call themselves the Reading Rufs, seeing as Darin Ruf single handedly destroyed Double-A (and some Major League) pitching in 2012.

With the acquisition of Tommy Joseph, the Phillies found themselves with two good young catchers on their Double-A squad in Reading.

Joseph joined top catcher prospect Sebastian Valle in the Phillies organization when he was included in the trade that sent Hunter Pence to the Giants earlier this afternoon. But with Joseph’s presence, Valle got the promotion he undoubtedly deserved.

Valle, who turned 22 last week, was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In 80 games with the R-Phils, Valle was hitting .261 with 13 homers and 44 RBIs.

Joseph, 21, was hitting .260 with eight homers and 38 RBIs in 80 games for the Richmond Flying Squirrels in Double-A. They play Reading tonight, so his trip to the R-Phils’ dugout was very short.

The move was made for two reasons. First, Valle deserved the call up. Second, Joseph will play every day with Reading for the remainder of the season while Valle gets time in Lehigh to maximize both catchers’ playing time.

The move also ends Tuffy Gosewhisch’s time in Philadelphia with Brian Schneider being activated and Erik Kratz soon to be sent back to Lehigh. Gosewhisch was sold to Toronto.

How the Team is Doing: Lehigh Valley went 4-4 this past week and won three out of five against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Kevin Frandsen had a nice week as he hit .303 with 10 hits in 33 at-bats. The IronPigs are starting to get some players back in their lineup as Hector Luna and Michael Martinez were optioned from the Phillies due to the return of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.Featured Prospect Watch – RP Phillippe Aumont: Aumont was the main piece in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners a few years back. He hasn’t appeared in the major leagues and hasn’t had spectactular numbers in the minors. In 2012, Aumont is 2-1 with a 4.33 ERA with 10 saves. The most surprising stat is he has 23 walks in only 27 innings pitched. He does have 37 strikeouts and hitters are hitting .208 against him.

How the Team is Doing: Lehigh Valley went 5-3 this past week and swept a four-game set against the Indianapolis Indians. Kevin Frandsen enjoyed a strong week at the plate as he hit .333 with an RBI. The IronPigs also saw one of their all-time fan favorites Rich Thompson traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Kyle Hudson who is currently the starting center fielder.Featured Prospect Watch – SP Tyler Cloyd: Cloyd is off to a phenomenal start at the AAA level. He is 4-1 with 1.97 ERA in five starts with Lehigh Valley. In Tuesday’s contest against Indianapolis, Cloyd was masterful with his command. He tossed six shutout innings of three-hit ball and got himself out of numerous jams.